There’s a reason smart seniors take advantage of early bird specials – they save major money. Today, we’re announcing super savings on ASI’s 2011 trade shows. I can’t promise free apple sauce, but there are bargains galore for early birds:

Our five industry trade shows take place in major markets across America. We based the dates and locations of shows on ASI member surveys and feedback from show attendees. As a result, timing and locations for Orlando, Dallas and Chicago shows will remain consistent with prior years, while the New York show moves to March and the San Diego Show moves to May.

As always, each ASI show sets the standard for industry shows and drives attendance by recruiting the best distributors. ASI distributor members receive benefits that make them VIPs, including: free admission, free education and keynotes, up to $100 toward a hotel room, discounted tickets to the gala celebration, prizes in the Passport to Winnings contest, free Catalog Courier service, free catalog shipping and daily networking opportunities.

Let me know what you like best about ASI shows by posting a comment or emailing me here. I’m also on Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube.

Philip Myers, owner of Myers Printing (asi/278937), went so far as to call the upcoming new services “awesome.” For more comments, and to read the press release, click here.

In development for almost a year, the new ESP Web runs on standard Internet browsers – including Explorer, Firefox and Apple’s Safari – for instant access anytime to products, supplier data, ESP Orders and customer information.

ESP Orders is a total order management system, available with ESP Web, that allows distributors to create sales orders, purchase orders and invoices electronically and without rekeying any data. All order information is replicated automatically, dramatically improving efficiency and providing more time for selling.

For a sneak-peek video of the revolutionary new ESP Web — which begins rolling out to all ESP users at the end of March — and ESP Orders, click here.

And don’t forget to check out demonstrations of ESP Web and ESP Orders at all upcoming ASI Shows, including ASI Dallas (Monday, February 1, through Wednesday, February 3) and ASI San Diego (Wednesday, February 24, through Friday, February 26), in the training room at the ASI booth and in select “power session” rooms.

If you were one of the 400 who participated in ESP sessions during education day during our first show of the year in Orlando, tell me what you thought by posting a comment or emailing me here. I’m also on Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube.

ASI is seriously committed to education, so it should come as no surprise we’re committing a serious amount of money – $100,000 – to our latest campaign to demonstrate the value of promotional products to end-buyers.

Taken together, ASI’s latest broad-based education efforts will encourage buyers to increase their use of advertising specialties in their marketing plans while creating a bigger buzz about the power of promotional products in the national media.

We definitely hit the ground running. Check out highlights of the campaign:

Media blitz. Aggressively pitching stories to media nationwide, highlighting the reach and effectiveness of promotional items. A recent ASI story about the dramatic increase in sales of hand sanitizers resulted in nearly 100 media mentions nationwide, including spots on CBS Money Watch, Philadelphia Business Today and Live 5 News.

ASI Show-related publicity. Increasing pursuit of media coverage of advertising specialties among the five metro areas of the ASI Shows. Florida State Representative Kevin Ambler and Senator Paula Dockery visited the just-completed Orlando show and the Orlando Sentinel wrote an article about it (comments accepted online) and posted ASI TV videos featuring interviews with the politicians on its blog. Orlando’s CBS station, Local 6 News, also provided a sneak-peek of the show.

Successful Promotions magazine campaign. ASI’s award-winning editorial team is sending a monthly e-newsletter to 600,000 marketers, filled with case studies and education. A PowerPoint presentation about the positive return-on-investment (ROI) of promo products has already been featured, available to download here. Also, a new Facebook fan page for the magazine will be launched first quarter, providing additional resources and editions of The Joe Show.

ASI Marketing Advisory Board. This recently-formed board of business leaders is driving the industry forward by connecting with end-buyers and sharing their feedback and suggestions with the industry.

Research. ASI Research published an advertising specialty impressions study in 2009 for distributors to send to their clients and prospects, showing them the high ROI of promotional products. The study will be updated this year.

Every day, hundreds of thousands of harried end-buyers thumb nervously through dog-eared, coffee splattered publications looking for ideas to promote special events, sales meetings and commemorative occasions, hoping to find a reliable source to help them. Now, you are positioned to be that source.

ASI now offers full color imprinting on all catalog publications. This allows distributors to create a strong brand in the marketplace by carrying over the same logo they have on their website and placing it on their catalog covers too.

It builds brand awareness and gives distributors a more professional image when they mail or hand their catalogs to clients.

Research says catalogs work. According to a recent ASI study of end-buyers, paper catalogs drive 93% of purchasing decisions. Further, the study shows that 91% of the time recipients take action as a result of something they noticed in a paper catalog, with nearly half (49%) purchasing a product. The full results of the exclusive study from ASI are available by clicking here.

Adding your full color logo on ASI catalogs is free of charge, with no additional fees. To order online, click here. For more information, contact me, executive director of distributor services, at dbrown@asicentral.com or at 800-546-1350.

A new era of industry leadership is upon us, thanks to the men and women who stepped-up and accepted a position on ASI’s latest advisory boards. I applaud all of you!

Click here for the complete list of all new members. Hundreds of ASI member companies did their part by voting during the online balloting period to help choose leaders of the boards. Here is a sampling of the new members:

The ASI Advisory Board —

Fay Best – owner, Best Specialty Advertising Inc. (asi/138569)

Jo-an Lantz, MAS – executive vice president and member of the board of directors, Geiger (asi/202900)

The effort doesn’t stop here. I encourage everyone to share their thoughts and ideas with ASI, and especially with these new board members, as we move forward into a new year and confront and conquer fresh challenges.

Tell me what you would do to improve the industry by posting a comment or emailing me here. I’m also on Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube.

How many bumper stickers do you have on your car? And do you think they’ve ever influenced your vote?

Two Florida politicians interviewed by Counselor editor Andy Cohen at ASI Show Orlando endorsed the bumper sticker as a key promotional product for their campaigns. The interviews were posted today on an Orlando Sentinel blog.

Rep. Kevin Ambler, who is running for the Florida Senate, told Andy his favorite promotional item is the tried-and-true bumper sticker – which he said his research shows accounts for about three to six votes for a candidate.

Andy spoke to Ambler and Sen. Paula Dockery, who is running for governor, and both interviews are posted on the Orlando Sentinel‘s business blog along with information on the show. The paper has a circulation of over 206,000 in Central Florida.

Let me know what bumper stickers are on your car by posting a comment or emailing me here. I’m also on Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube.

The ASI Show Orlando kicked off a brand new show season – and a new year – at what we all hope is a turning point in our industry.

This show really had it all – a rousing inspirational speech by General Colin L. Powell before 900, a “Gala Celebration” at Universal Studios attended by more than 700, and a strong Education Day attendance of nearly 1,200. ASI Orlando, which ended Tuesday after three action-packed days, proved to be an interactive event that allowed thousands of distributors to find the newest products, catalogs and pricing for the start of the sales season.

We believe the show positioned suppliers and distributors for a great recovery year in 2010. Here’s what a few of them they had to say:

Margit Fawbush, marketing manager of Norwood Promotional Products: “This year has been excellent. The traffic is steady. Distributors are eager to start new projects and are coming in with very specific requests as to what they are looking for. We have found ASI Orlando very beneficial.”

Scott Anderson, national sales manager of Leed’s: “All the metrics that we consider important for a show are being hit and traffic’s been good. We’re very pleased with The ASI Show Orlando.”

Gary Tuchler, VP of the south region for Brown & Bigelow: “ASI Orlando is a great way to kick off the New Year. We can get everyone together, get them motivated and ready to go. There are lots of new ideas, lots of excitement and lots of energy on the show floor.”

Dave Crofoot, CEO of Western Associates: “The ASI Show Orlando has been great. Our salespeople are excited and have found many new ideas on the show floor.”

And watch full video coverage of The ASI Show Orlando at asicentral.com, with several education sessions from the New Distributor Success Track, as well as ASI-TV coverage of the 2010 ASI Fashion Show.

Don’t forget: It’s not too early to register for the ASI Show in Dallas, from Monday, February 1, through Wednesday, February 3, and the all-new ASI Show in San Diego, from Wednesday, February 24, through Friday, February 26, at asishow.com.